Matt's system

[Jwg1749]

I thought I'd heard that name before ...

Indeed. There are similar complaints on the 'Wam. My experience suggests he's just a bit chaotic.

If I were younger I may have tried these.
I like the soundfield created by planar speakers. I enjoyed a pair of Apogee active Divas for a long time in another house but they were a poor match with this room.
I did have some reservations about the fact that the soundfield of dipoles is, in my estimation, a product of the radiation pattern and room reflections, rather something which is in the recording that panels reveal, but my it sounds fabulous.
I first auditioned Duettas against ATC 50s and the stereo imaging was so much more impressive and the reason I went Apogee in the end.

The 2D imaging is remarkable, and so is the 3D imaging with the right amp (which I think I have now).

When you talk about the soundfield being a product of radiation patterns and room reflections, I guess you're referring to the rearwards radiation of dipoles. Some ESL manufacturers (ML and Sanders are examples) make out that this is all part of the ESL experience. Like you, I'm unsure about this. There's something to be said for cancelling it out with acoustic absorbers or diffusors behind the speakers. I've heard this work well, though it seems to be frowned on.

As I understand it, Janszen ESLs cancel out the dipole effect by putting their 'static panels in a box with an internal baffle. At least that's how they look to me. Their small floorstanders, the JansZen zA2.1, look very neat and sell for $8750. They're one on my to-do list. They're distributed in the UK by soundsetup near Cheltenham.

Matt